AI DEBT COLLECTION PLATFORM FOR UTILITIES

The proven debt collection solution for utility companies

Symend's AI-powered platform helps utility providers reduce delinquencies, minimize service disconnections, and recover more revenue—while maintaining the positive customer relationships essential to your business

Utility meter
Performance metrics showing improved results

Traditional collections strategies are costly, and perform poorly with increasingly overwhelmed consumers.

Before Symend - Traditional collections approach
BEFORE SYMEND
  • Negative outcome indicator Poor recovery rates
  • Negative outcome indicator High operation costs
  • Negative outcome indicator Erosion in trust & loyalty

Symend uses Behavioral Science to predict your customers' behavior & generates AI-optimized engagement.

After Symend - AI-optimized engagement
AFTER SYMEND
  • Positive outcome indicator +10% recovery rates
  • Positive outcome indicator -50% OpEx costs
  • Positive outcome indicator Improved customer trust & LTV

How Symend Supports Collections for
Enterprise Utilities

USE CASE

Winter Heating Season Management

Cold weather drives 300% increase in customer calls during peak heating season, overwhelming call centers and delaying collections.

Proactive behavioral engagement identifies at-risk customers before bills escalate, offering payment arrangements and budget billing options.

45% reduction in customer service calls, improved payment arrangements.

USE CASE

Summer Peak Demand Collections

Extreme heat drives unexpected "bill shock" as A/C costs spike, causing delinquency surges and service disconnections.

AI-driven behavioral engagement identifies customers likely to struggle before high bills arrive, offering flexible payment options proactively.

60% increase in payment plan enrollment, improved customer satisfaction.

USE CASE

Economic
Uncertainty
Response

Economic pressures push previously reliable customers into delinquency for the first time, requiring different engagement strategies.

Behavioral science segments customers by capacity and willingness to pay, delivering empathetic, personalized outreach with tailored payment solutions.

Maintained customer relationships while recovering 90% of delinquent amounts.

Proven to Deliver Unmatched Collections
Outcomes for Enterprise Utilities

+10%
Increase in
Recovery Rates
-50%
Reduction in
OpEx Costs
10x
Proven ROI
With Symend

"Symend became a critical service for TELUS overnight.

As call volumes skyrocketed and customer uncertainty continued to rise - having Symend as a trusted partner allowed us to continue to provide outstanding customer service and build stronger relationships with our customers."

Kim Vey | Director, Client Operations at TELUS

Enterprise-Level Compliance, with Built-in Safeguards
to Respect Consumer Protections Guidelines

SOC 2 Type II
GDPR
PCI DSS
ISO 27001
READY TO GET STARTED?

Get Your Custom ROI Report Today

Symend is proven to deliver over 10x ROI. Get your custom report on how we can improve cure rates, LTV & reduce OpEx costs for your unique business today.

GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM REPORT
Value & ROI Assessment Report

FAQs

Unpack some of our most commonly asked questions.
Don't see what you're looking for? Speak to our team today.

How does Symend help utility companies increase recovery rates and reduce service disconnections?

Symend's AI-driven platform delivers up to 10% higher recovery rates by identifying at-risk customers early and engaging them with hyper-personalized messaging before situations escalate to disconnection. Using Delinquency Archetypes and behavioral science, Symend's AI predicts customer behavior and generates optimized engagement flows that drive repayment action - reducing involuntary disconnections while maintaining positive customer relationships. With 9+ years treating 250+ million delinquencies and $50B+ in recoveries, Symend transforms disconnection risk into retention opportunity.

What makes AI-powered debt collection different for utility companies compared to other industries?

Utility debt collection presents unique challenges: essential services cannot be repossessed, regulatory bodies impose strict customer protection rules, and utilities face seasonal delinquency peaks. Symend's AI addresses these industry-specific dynamics by combining behavioral science with real-time optimization across four levels - scoring, segmentation, messaging, and journey iteration. Unlike generic collections approaches, Symend's platform understands utility customer behavior patterns and delivers personalized engagement that balances regulatory compliance, customer vulnerability, and recovery performance.

How does Symend's AI personalize engagement for utility customers?

Symend's AI determines each customer's journey using Delinquency Archetypes and behavioral insights - decoding whether someone forgot, is having a tough month, or feels overwhelmed. The platform generates hyper-personalized engagement through email, text, IVR, and letter delivery with embedded behavioral science tactics. Symend empowers customers to self-cure through payment options like autopay and payment arrangements, nurturing each customer based on their unique engagement patterns and dynamically optimizing based on real-time signals to maximize results.

Can Symend integrate with existing utility billing and CIS systems?

Yes, Symend integrates seamlessly with existing collections systems and standard operating procedures. The platform requires minimal data - as few as 12 fields in a flat file - and can ingest from any source including CRMs, risk scoring systems, and core utility Customer Information Systems through robust APIs and pre-built connectors. Symend offers full orchestration of email, text, IVR, and letter delivery through the platform or leverages a client's in-house tools, delivering rapid time-to-value without disrupting existing billing infrastructure.

How does Symend help utilities meet PUC regulatory requirements for collections?

Symend employs an enterprise-level data security framework including data minimization, anonymization, and encryption to protect sensitive customer information. The platform integrates built-in compliance safeguards into all engagement strategies, ensuring communications meet state Public Utility Commission requirements, FDCPA guidelines, and consumer protection standards including SOC 2, GDPR, ISO, and CCPA. Symend automatically respects disconnection moratorium rules, vulnerable customer protections, and required payment plan disclosures across jurisdictions.

How does Symend's AI support vulnerable and at-risk utility customers?

Symend's AI decodes human behavior to understand the actual story behind late payments - identifying customers experiencing financial hardship and tailoring engagement accordingly. The platform connects at-risk customers with appropriate payment arrangements, assistance programs, and flexible options before situations become unmanageable. By treating debt as a shared human experience and using behavioral science to empower rather than pressure, Symend helps utilities support vulnerable populations while meeting regulatory expectations for customer-centric service.

How does Symend reduce bad debt and write-offs for utility companies?

Symend reduces utility bad debt by engaging customers earlier in the delinquency cycle with AI-optimized engagement flows that drive repayment action before accounts become uncollectible. With up to 10% higher recovery rates, improved write-off rates, and faster time-to-cure, Symend minimizes accounts requiring write-off or petition for general rate recovery. Across 250+ million delinquencies and $50B+ in recoveries, Symend's AI and behavioral science approach delivers proven 10x ROI.

How does Symend handle high-volume, low-balance utility accounts cost-effectively?

Utility companies typically manage large numbers of relatively small unpaid bills, making traditional collections cost-prohibitive. Symend's AI-driven automated outreach delivers 85% reduction in agent interactions and 50% reduction in OpEx costs - making recovering smaller balances economically viable. Self-service payment tools allow customers to resolve overdue bills independently, freeing call center resources for complex situations while Symend's single interconnected system continuously optimizes to drive incremental value.

How quickly can utility companies implement Symend's AI-powered debt collection platform?

Symend starts with a 90-day pilot that can be implemented in weeks, not months. The AI model begins training after the first 24 hours of customer data ingestion, with cohort performance reviews at 40-day and 80-day intervals. Upon pilot completion, clients receive full analysis, breakdown of monetary impact, and next steps to ramp to production volume. Professional services with collections and behavioral science expertise are included, delivering white-glove implementation with continuous optimization.

What ROI can utility companies expect from using Symend?

Symend delivers proven 10x ROI through multiple value streams: up to 10% higher recovery rates, 85% reduction in agent interactions, 50% reduction in OpEx costs, decreased text/email/letter costs, improved write-off rates, and reduced third-party fees. With 9+ years treating 250+ million delinquencies and $50B+ in recoveries, utility clients see millions in additional recovered revenue while strengthening customer relationships. Symend operates on a consumption-based SaaS pricing model - all professional services included with no hidden fees.